


Odds and Ends

by Lapin



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: M/M, Other, Prompt Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-21
Updated: 2012-09-25
Packaged: 2017-11-14 18:19:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/518155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lapin/pseuds/Lapin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Compilation of Amon/Lieutenant prompt fills for the Lieumon Week. Ranging in genre, and rating. </p><p>1.) Spy: Two Equalists find themselves overhearing a conversation. Trauma ensues.<br/>2.) Flirt: Amon and Lieu hit the seven year mark, and find it might be time for some changes in their relationship.<br/>3.) Cooking: Amon and Lieu share an apartment and chores, but nothing else. People can be incredibly dense sometimes.<br/>4.) Enchantment: They take a walk down the street, in the winter snow. Quiet, or you'll break the spell.<br/>5.) Silent: Noatak is a high school revolutionary with three months detention. Lieu likes his style.<br/>6.) Creation: Noatak is trying to learn how to create. Lieu helps him with that. Well, he provides the spray paint. That's   helping.<br/>7.) Devotion: Noatak wants to be emancipated, but that means making a few sacrifices along the way. Is there any universe where things go right for them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Spy

**Author's Note:**

> A/N Short series of prompts from the Lieumon Week Prompt Challenge. They're not connected unless otherwise noted, and since they will range in genre and rating, please check the notes at the top of each one.
> 
> Disclaimer: Avatar: LoK is owned by Nickelodeon Studios, and I express no affiliation with them, nor do I profit in any way from the use.

“Are you seriously spying on the boss?” Ming flew a foot, then turned and glared at Aiko, who was poised over her shoulder. “Because that's frowned upon, I bet.” 

“Your mom is frowned upon.” She hissed automatically. 

Aiko scowled. “Your face is frowned upon.” 

She was about to respond when the voices rose in volume again, and she shushed the other woman, pressing her hand over her mouth. “Don't you dare lick me.” She warned her, eyes narrowed. “Just shut up.” 

On the other side of the cracked door, they could hear the boss and the Lieutenant talking. 

“I think you're being ridiculous.” That was the Lieutenant, his deep voice unmistakeable. “No one is going to spider rat on me, alright? I'm not walking around with the damn mask and hood on all the time. It makes my head itch.” 

Now their leader spoke, voice not as deep, but carrying better. “It'll itch a lot more when you get nits in prison.” 

The Lieutenant groaned, frustrated. “For the last time, everyone this deep in is loyal to the cause. And it's not like they know my name, in any case, or where I live. So just let it go. You're not winning this one.” 

Now Aiko was listening in interest as well, her chest against Ming's back, which was awfully distracting, because Aiko was rather voluptuous. “You know they're totally fucking, right? Only reason Amon lets the Lieutenant talk back to him like that.” She whispered mischievously in Ming's ear. 

“Shut up.” She commanded, trying to listen. 

“I bet the Lieutenant tops.” Aiko continued. “I bet Amon _begs_ for it.” 

“Do you ever shut up?” Ming demanded, elbowing her in the gut. “No one cares if they're fucking. I want to hear this!” Well, that wasn't strictly true. Enough people cared that there was one hell of a betting pool about it, including the aforementioned positioning of it. Most of the money was on Amon, but apparently Aiko belonged to the small but vocal believers in the Lieutenant's sexual dominance. 

Amon was speaking again. “This isn't an argument to be won. This is an order, am I understood?” 

“No.” The Lieutenant replied, and both women widened their eyes in surprise. “Don't try that shit with me. That only works when we're out in public. This,” Ming and Aiko couldn't see, but they guessed he was gesturing to encompass the room. “This isn't public.” 

“No, this is our base, and the mask is still on, which means you are my subordinate.” 

Ming loved the Equalists. She loved finally feeling like she was capable, like she was worthwhile. She loved Amon in a way that she had never loved anyone, because he was bigger than just one man. He was the man who was going to change the city.

And even she thought that was the most completely wrong thing to say. 

“Wow, even Amon is actually a stupid man when it comes to relationships.” Aiko sounded almost amused, and Ming elbowed her again. “What, you were totally thinking it too. See, this is why I date women. All men are dumb.” 

“For the love of Hei Bai, _shut up_ ,” Ming blushed even as she ordered it, because that had not been information she needed while Aiko had her damn breasts pushed to Ming's back. 

“You realize this means the Lieutenant has seen Amon without the mask, right? I wonder if he's as bad as he says?” She bounced on her toes a little, which caused a distracting sort of motion on Ming's back. “Ooh, I wonder if Amon has like, issues with his looks? Do you think they ever fuck face-to-face?” 

Ming glared at her sharply over her shoulder. “You never shut up, do you?” 

Aiko gave her a mild look. “When I was a child, my father would gag me just to get some peace and quiet. It was fun, he'd do all these different knots to test my abilities.” 

“You're fucked up.” She replied, aghast, then turned back to the door.

The Lieutenant was silent for a moment, and then there was a thumping noise, like an object slamming into something else, something wooden maybe. “I don't need this.” It was very final sounding, and seemed to signal the end of the conversation.

It occurred to the two of them simultaneously that they were in fact standing by the only existing door, the one that the Lieutenant was probably about to use, and oh _fuck_ , they were so screwed. There was nowhere to hide, and no way to make them look casual. The Lieutenant was going to kill them, seriously, he was going to use them for target practice, fuck fuck fuck, Ming didn't want to die a virgin. 

Aiko was on the same track, judging from the way her obnoxiously sharp nails were digging into Ming's arm. “We're _dead_ ,” Aiko voiced Ming's thoughts, which was not helping. 

Except then the atmosphere changed. “Wait, that didn't,” a pause, a rustle of clothing, like someone had grabbed someone else. “Please.” They'd never heard Amon sound quite like _that_. It was soft and pleading and _human_. “Don't.” 

“You can't treat me like I don't know what I'm doing.” The Lieutenant said, still angry sounding. “Stop trying to protect me. I don't need it.” 

“You jumped on to a moving Satomobile!” Ming had been there for that. It had been pretty badass. “Don't ask me not to worry about you.” 

This was a new side of Amon, and judging by the sounds of clothing rustling, her and Aiko needed to split before they overheard something she had no desire to hear. 

There was more movement, the sounds of something else hitting a desk, the soft sound of a body, and then a soft moan that was definitely not the Lieutenant's deep voice. “This isn't,” a gasp, “going to change my mind about you not keeping your face covered.” 

“You just don't like me getting hit on.” The Lieutenant said, his voice even lower than usual. “I still remember the time Sato made a pass at me.” 

“That's really what you want to remind me about now?” Amon asked dryly. 

“I had to fuck you in his library just to get you to calm down. Up against the shelves, remember? You had bruises on your back.” Ming thought they needed to leave. Now. So why weren't her feet moving? “Spirits, you were so fucking tight like that.” 

More movement, and then, “You still like the desk best though, don't you?” 

All the blood in Ming's body rushed first to her face, then felt like it all drained out of her body to puddle on the floor. “I think we should go.” Aiko whispered, tugging on Ming's frozen body. “I mean, voyeurism can be hot and all, but not when it's like Mommy and Daddy, or,” she snickered, “Daddy and Daddy.” She giggled again, yanking Ming down the hall. 

Ming couldn't think, as her mind tried to desperately burn the memory away before it traumatized her. It was a little late though, she suspected, and urgh, that voice was going to haunt her nightmares _forever_. 

“Hey, you'll back me up right, because I could stand to make a lot of money off this. I was _so_ right. Our dear leader likes it when his dear Lieutenant holds him down and-”

Ming clamped her hand down over Aiko's mouth. “Please. Stop. Talking.” She managed. “I beg of you, stop.” 

“Aw, it wasn't that bad.” Aiko slung an arm around her shoulders. “And hey, all that money would be partly yours for backing me, so maybe I could take you out to dinner? All you have to do is tell that asshole Chang that I was right and he was wrong. He thought for sure that the Lieutenant was getting fucked, but you heard Amon, he was practically begging for it, and apparently he's the jealous type. Ooh, I bet they're moving that desk, eh?” 

“I will _gag_ you.” Ming promised, wondering if she was about to faint. 

Aiko waggled her eyebrows. “Kinky.”


	2. Flirt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amon and Lieu hit the seven year mark, and find it might be time for some changes in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Absolute silliness. Seriously. Don't judge me. I've had one pumpkin spice latte with two extra shots, one caramel macchiato with two extra shots, and one of the doubleshot energy drinks. I'm practically vibrating at this point, but I am determined to get caught up on prompt week.

Lieu knew from the minute he shut the door that he was in trouble. There was a certain atmosphere to the room, a heaviness. 

He sighed, and hung his jacket on the hook by the door, then took his shoes off. Amon's were there, surprisingly. Whenever he was angry with Lieu, he wore his shoes in the house, just to aggravate him. Not this time though. Damn, Lieu wasn't sure what that meant. 

He sighed, and started going over the mental list in his head of transgressions he'd made in the past week or so. The list varied in length, depending on the week, but this week was a short one, thankfully. He had been pretty busy with the newest modifications to his kali sticks, so he hadn't gotten into much trouble. Not like last month, when Amon hadn't spoken to him for a whole day, he'd been so furious, after he had jumped off his motorcycle and on to a moving truck. 

It wasn't even like he'd gotten hurt, or anything. 

“Amon?” He called, making his way through the apartment. There was no answer, but then, Amon wasn't very talkative at home to begin with. The constant flow of speech while on the job taxed his voice, and he had never been all that chatty to begin with. He was a contradictory man in almost every sense, and sometimes, Lieu was amazed at the difference a barrier of porcelain could make in someone's personality. “What did I do now?”

He found the man sitting cross-legged at the dining table, the one that doubled as a workspace for Lieu when they weren't eating. The mask was sitting on the table, face up and freshly painted, to judge from the smell in the small space. It often needed to be sanded down and redone, the constant wear and tear fading the bright red and white. 

There was a cup of tea in front of him, and another turned down in Lieu's spot, obviously waiting for him. Wary, he sat down, and let Amon pour for him. 

Whenever Amon was wearing the mask, Lieu poured for him. Like this though, Amon insisted on honoring him as head of household. He found it strange, preferring a more equal standing between them, but he had learned long ago not to question Amon when he had set his mind to something. 

Amon said nothing, keeping his eyes downcast. “You haven't done anything.” 

“Was I supposed to do something?” He hazarded. “Did I forget something?” 

“No.” Amon shook his head. “I'm not angry with you.” 

Lieu wasn't stupid enough to believe that. “You're angry though.” 

Again, he shook his head. “No. I'm not.” He stood, and started walking towards the space designated for sleep. Lieu had built a platform against the far wall, and closed it off with sliding screens, like a proper home, with tatami flooring so the bed could sit on the floor like it should. Now, Amon lingered at the opening, looking over his shoulder at Lieu. “Take me to bed.” 

Well, he wasn't going to say no to that. So he did as he was told, and took Amon to bed. 

Over the next few days, Lieu forgot about Amon's strange mood entirely. The improvements he'd been working on with the kali sticks were not working like they were supposed to, and he gave himself a nasty shock that caused a burn up the length of his forearm. 

The medic on duty, Li, laughed at him as he cleaned it out. “You really need to stop doing this. We like you in one piece.” The cleaning hurt a lot more than the burn itself, and took a lot longer too. “ _I_ like you in one piece.” 

Lieu laughed. “I like me in one piece too.” 

“I mean it.” Li said, as he wrapped some clean cotton bandages around the arm. “One day, I'm not going to be able to patch you up.” 

The Lieutenant winked at him, grinning. “Well, hopefully that day's not soon.” 

“Hopefully.” Li agreed. 

When he joined Amon at home, the man was making dinner, oddly enough. Head of household aside, Lieu usually cooked. Both of his parents had been avid cooks, and he found the task comforting. Both of them had passed away when he was a teenager, his mother first, his father soon following, but when he was in the kitchen, the familiar smells and tasks brought them back. 

He was tempted to wrap his arms around the other man, kiss the back of his neck, but he liked to be allowed to concentrate when he was cooking, not as well versed in the chore as Lieu. “What are you making?” 

“Just stir fry, with peppers.” Amon answered distantly, even as Lieu perked up. He'd thought he smelled peppers. He loved spicy food, a trait shared by most with any Fire Nation blood in them. When he peered over his shoulder at Lieu, he frowned. “Why is your arm bandaged?” 

“Oh, had an accident. Li patched me up though, no worries.” 

Amon tensed, probably about to start in on a lecture about how he needed to be more careful, but then seemed to decide not to. Lieu wasn't going to argue with that. Whenever Amon started in on him, he tended to feel bad, like he was letting him down somehow. Amon depended on him a lot more than others realized, and if Lieu was out of commission, there'd be trouble. 

He scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say. “Li says it should heal soon. It wasn't bad. Still have full mobility.” He stretched his arm out to demonstrate, than remembered Amon had his back to him. “So, Li told me about a new restaurant down the way. Water Tribe food. He says it's good.” The medic seemed to always know what was going on in the city. 

“Did he?” Amon asked, as he took the food off the stove, and put it in a bowl. 

“Yeah.” Lieu said, watching. Amon hated it when he interfered while he was getting things together, so he stayed off to the side. “We should order from there sometime.” 

“Or we could just go.” Amon suggested. 

Lieu laughed. “Where people can see us? That sounds like a great idea.” 

“We used to.” Amon pointed out. 

“Yeah, before this got off the ground.” Lieu argued. “People know me now. Too many people see me with you, they'll start to talk. There's already gossip about us.” 

“Is there?” He set the bowl down the table, along with the rice, and then poured the kettle of steaming water into the teapot. “What kind of gossip?” 

“That we're a little too close.” Lieu said, taking his seat. 

Amon poured for him with a neutral expression. “Is that out of the question? That we should allow some level of,” he seemed to struggle for the correct word, like he usually did without the mask. “You know what I mean.” 

“It's not a good idea.” Lieu reminded him, trying to stretch his back as he ate. He was sore and tired, after training a few new recruits in chi-blocking. Often, the only way to do it was to allow them to chi-bock each other and him, and he was getting a little too old for the constant stop and flow. It made his joints ache. 

“Of course.” Amon said, and fell silent. On anyone else, it would have been petulant sulking, but not on Amon. “You're right.” 

When they were finished, and the dishes were washed, he sat down to start work on a new generator for his kali sticks. The one he had now worked well enough, but it was heavier than it needed to be. 

Amon's hands on his shoulders were not unwelcome, and they eased some of the ache out of them. “Do you want to go to bed?” He suggested, low in Lieu's ear. 

Lieu hated to refuse, but there was no way he was up for anything. “Not tonight.” He said, even as Amon kissed the spot behind his ear. “I have to finish this anyway.” 

He lingered against Lieu for a moment after, but then withdrew, to head off to bed presumably. 

He finished his generator within a week, but as it turned out, he probably should have spent a little more time on it. He was lucky he'd put a safety catch in, or he'd of been one crispy Lieutenant. As it stood, he was only a little singed, as Li noted. 

“I thought we talked about this, Lieutenant.” The medic lectured, as he carefully cleaned the wound. The Lieutenant was flat on his stomach, arms under his head, trying not to wince as Li worked. “You are not expendable.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He replied, already used to this lecture. He'd heard it from Amon enough times. “I'll be more careful.” 

“I've heard that before.” 

“And you'll hear it again.” The Lieutenant told him, keeping himself still, despite the pain. His stomach growled, unhappy that he'd skipped lunch to train, and he sighed. “I'm starving.” 

“So I hear. Have you been to that place I told you about yet?” Li asked, as he finally started to apply the bandaging. 

“No, haven't had the time.”

“How about now?” Li suggested, taping the gauze down. “I've got some time, and no way am I clearing you to stay. You need to eat, and go home.” 

“Fine.” The Lieutenant agreed.

The restaurant was good, enough so that he ordered something to take home to Amon. The man loved Water Tribe food, but would never ask Lieu to make it too often, maybe feeling he was being too picky. The other man was strange like that, never asking much from Lieu in their private life, especially as of late. 

Li looked at the box in interest. “Liked it enough for more?” 

“Nah, got someone waiting at home who will be glad to see it.” He explained. Li looked a little taken aback, shouldering his medical kit as they walked. 

“Oh. You've got a roommate?” 

Lieu shrugged. “Yeah, and a bedmate.” Though he kept the identity a secret, he never hid that he was in a serious relationship. He didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about his availability, much as he flirted. “Been with him for about...” He trailed off in thought. “I guess it's been seven years now.” 

“So you two have been together longer than the movement.” Li said, smiling. “That's quite awhile.” 

“Yeah, I guess.” 

Li was watching him a bit curiously. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Hm?” He looked down at the man. “I don't know. He's being weird lately. Not sure what I did, but he's talking even less than usual, and he's cooking, which is a little out of the ordinary.” 

“Think it might be ending?” That honestly hadn't even occurred to him, but now that he thought about it, that was a possibility, wasn't it? It certainly fit some of Amon's odd behavior, like his almost desperate attempts to get Lieu into bed lately. Maybe the fire had gone out for him, and he was trying to physically restart it. 

“Don't know.” He answered, after a minute. They were at his and Amon's building, so he decided to keep walking. He didn't trust Li enough to let him know where he lived. “Seven years is a long time. Maybe we are ending.” He really hated the sound of that. He loved Amon like no one else, and he didn't want this part of their relationship to end. “Happens, I guess.” 

“It does.” Li agreed. “Hey, my neighborhood is the next over. You can head off.” 

“Nah.” Lieu said. Li wasn't a very good fighter, and the next neighborhood wasn't a particularly nice one. Also, this way he could ensure Li was still in the dark about his residence. “I'll walk you home.” 

Li smiled. “I'd appreciate it.” 

By the time he himself got home, Amon was putting away the laundry basket. “You just finish?” Amon nodded, and Lieu grimaced. Usually, he got the clothes and sheets off the drying line on the roof, not liking to make Amon do it after he'd done the hard work of washing them. “Sorry, I went and ate with Li. Brought you something.” 

Amon said nothing in response, as he took it from Lieu, and placed it on the table. 

“You alright?” He asked. There was a tense feeling in the air that was making him uneasy. 

The other man shook his head, and then without warning, pressed himself up against Lieu, pulling him in for a kiss. Surprised, it took Lieu a second to respond, and even as he did, he felt the warning twinges in his back. When Amon's hand slid down to the front of his pants, he stopped him reluctantly. “Burned my back today.” He explained, wishing it wasn't the case. It was getting to the point that he couldn't remember the last time they'd had sex, despite Amon's efforts. “Sorry. Another time?” 

Amon didn't look at him, but instead, at the floor, as he spoke. “Are you bored with me?” 

Lieu's eyes widened. “What?” 

“You don't come home. You flirt with other men.” He swallowed. “You don't touch me anymore.” 

“I...”Lieu trailed off, trying to focus. “First off, I've just been busy. Training, new weapons, you know all of this. And I've always done that.” When Amon started to pull away, he grabbed him and got a good grip on him, pushing him up against the wall and caging him in. “What the fuck have you gone and convinced yourself of in that damn head of yours?” This was the problem with smart people, they spent too much time over-analyzing shit. 

“You said we were ending!” He accused loudly, his temper finally snapping. Now _this_ , this Lieu could work with. “You told that medic we were ending, and then you walked him home!” 

He could have laughed. “You're jealous.” 

“What am I supposed to feel when you're saying things like that to some medic who practically throws himself at you every time you see each other?” Amon demanded. 

Lieu pushed him harder into the wall, leaning down so that their foreheads touched. “You little sneak, you were on the balcony. You heard me talking to him.” Amon narrowed his eyes at him petulantly. “For your information, I thought _you_ were getting bored with _me_. That's what I meant.” 

“I'm not.” He said, his grey eyes imploring as he looked up at Lieu. “Never.” 

“Idiot.” Lieu admonished, kissing him. “Like I'd want anyone else when I have you.” 

Amon still had his eyes on Lieu, which did things to his insides he'd rather not disclose to anyone, ever. “Stop flirting with the medic.” 

“Fine.” If Amon didn't like it, he'd stop doing it. He'd do anything for Amon. “I'll just flirt with you.” 

“I thought you didn't want anyone to know?” 

Lieu decided to ignore his back, and pull Amon towards the bed. “Pretty sure the neighbors are going to know, at the very least.”


	3. Cooking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amon and Lieu share an apartment and chores, but nothing else. People can be incredibly dense sometimes.

Cooking had never been something that had come easy to Amon. Men didn't cook in the North Pole, and as such, he'd never learned anything more elaborate than simple camp meals. He'd tried, of course, since he'd come to Republic City, but found the chore required a talent that either had to be nurtured from a young age, or he simply didn't possess. He wasn't sure which.

He was lucky he had found Lieu so soon after coming to the metropolis. Lieu could cook anything, and he could do it all without a recipe. All he had to do was taste a dish, and he could break down the ingredients to an exactness that amazed Amon. He just knew when something tasted good. 

Lieu cooked every meal they ate in their small apartment, so Amon cleaned all the dishes without complaint. 

It felt very equal and domestic. Amon liked that.

What he didn't like was when Lieu didn't come home to cook. He never brought anyone to their shared apartment, out of respect for Amon, he suspected, but nor was he celibate. He never worn any kind of cologne, so whoever he had been with clung to him when he walked in the door like a ghost, taunting Amon. 

Those incidents were few and far between though, thankfully, and it was nothing a wash couldn't solve. After he'd washed them away, he'd make breakfast, and Amon could simply forget the whole matter. 

He did laundry, more often than not. Lieu hated laundry with a passion, but Amon actually found a kind of enjoyment in the chore. It was quiet and solitary, and required a certain skill he was proud to find he did in fact possess. 

There was no point in just washing his own, so he washed Lieu's sheets and clothes along with his own. Despite not wearing cologne, he wore an aftershave, and used a shampoo with lemon verbena in it. So his sheets had a scent clinging to them that made Amon think of him. More than once, he allowed himself the guilty pleasure of pressing the gathered sheets against his nose, inhaling the scent. 

More than those sheets, he loved the smell of the shirts Lieu cooked in. They smelled of the aftershave and of the meal he'd prepared them, and that, more than anything, caused an ache in his gut that he didn't know how to relieve. 

It was with a shameful need that he gave in on one of the nights Lieu didn't come home. He had done laundry the day before, but Lieu had the shirt he had worn yesterday hanging over the edge of the basket. With reluctance, he balled it up and pressed it to his face while sliding his other hand down his pants. 

He promised himself it would only be the one time, but he found that after he'd given in once, it was only too easy to do it again and again. His fantasies evolved without restraint, both erotic and simple. He imagined being able to kiss Lieu in the kitchen, imagined the man wrapping his arms around Amon, just as often as he imagined Lieu pushing him down in the bed and fucking him. 

By the time Lieu came home in the mornings after though, Amon had the clothing back where it belonged, in the laundry basket, and his own guilt hidden away. 

Or so he thought. One night, after Lieu had made dinner, he looked at Amon with his eyes narrowed and said, “You know, I don't bring anyone here.” 

“I know.” Amon replied, confused, and not eager to talk about the issue. 

“So don't bring anyone back here.” He said. “You want to see someone, fine, but I don't like to come back to this place reeking like sex.” 

Amon's eyes widened. He'd never even noticed, but of course Lieu had. “You have no right to question me.” He said, humiliated at being found out. “Not when you're off with someone.”

Lieu scowled, and looked away. “It's not the same.” 

“It's exactly the same.” Amon argued. “Do you think I like doing the laundry, and smelling someone else on your clothes?” Only that wasn't the same at all, he realized. He had spoken too quickly again, without thinking, like he always did when he was upset. 

The other man was looking at him, but Amon looked at the table, at the food. 

“Amon,” Lieu said, and he started when a hand touched his face. “I went home with them because I thought this was all I could have from you.” He was still touching him as he spoke, his fingers pressing into Amon's skin. “I could cook for you, take care of you. I didn't think...shit, I'm reading this right, aren't I?” 

He grabbed at Lieu's hand, and kissed his palm. “Yes.” 

The next morning at breakfast, he pressed himself to Lieu's back, and kissed the back of his neck. Like all his other fantasies, the ones that had guaranteed a need to do laundry today, it was just as good as he'd imagined.


	4. Enchantment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amon and Lieu walk down the street. Quiet, or you'll break the spell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short, but I wasn't sure what to do with this one.

When the snow first falls in Republic City, it turns the harsh city into something a little more bearable for the young Amon. 

“I don't like the snow.” Lieu says, kicking at some slush. “Too damn cold.” 

Amon says nothing, because he doesn't want to admit the deep longing in his heart for home. Not for Yakone, not for his mother or even his brother, but just for the familiar landscape, the ice and snow and ocean. He misses the long night, is still a little thrown off by the sun rising in the dead of winter. 

Nor is he cold. But perhaps that is because of something else. 

“It's only a little snow.” He says, regretting it when Lieu turns his icy eyes on him. “Why don't you like cold?” 

“Because.” Lieu's not one for elaboration, so Amon doesn't press. 

Amon isn't sure what to make of him, this tall man who seems so wary of Amon. The only time he doesn't feel at odds with him is when they're having sex, and that never lasts long enough. He doesn't know what else to offer him though, doesn't know what this man wants from him. 

He's not affectionate either, which Amon isn't too sure about. They share the apartment, they have sex fairly frequently, and they spend a good deal of their spare time together. He thinks it's a relationship.

“I'm cold.” He lies, because he's sure he's supposed to be, and he doesn't want Lieu to be suspicious of him. 

Lieu raises an eyebrow, and then wraps an arm around him, pulling him in against his body. He fits under Lieu's arm as easily as he fits against him when Lieu is pressing him to the wall. 

They walk down the street like that, and Amon doesn't speak again, for fear of breaking the spell.


	5. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noatak is a high school revolutionary with three months detention. Lieu likes his style.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm so sorry for this. I really am. I have no excuse.

Lieu hated detention. Though he supposed if he really hated it, he might have worked a little harder to stay out of detention in the first place. It was entirely possible he was doing it on purpose, he supposed, and it had nothing to do with the silent boy sitting by the window, reading a book.

Three months of detention. Honestly, Lieu was impressed. Even he'd never managed a whole three months, though he'd been close after that incident with the soccer team and their scoreboard. But to be fair, that was right after they'd cut funding to the lacrosse team in favor of new equipment for those assholes, and Lieu was on the lacrosse team. He'd been a little mad, was all. 

But the boy by the window, whose name Lieu had yet to learn, had gotten a whole three months after publicly calling out the principal on his biased treatment of the extracurriculars. It had been kind of hilarious. Even the Vice Principal in charge of discipline, Bei Fong, had been snickering as the boy gave the principal a dressing down that had made the man's ears go red in outrage. 

Lieu had decided then and there that he liked him. 

So now he was sort of stalking him. 

With a grin, he took the seat beside him, leaving Hiroshi on his own on the other side of the room. 

The boy turned the page, and didn't acknowledge him. 

“Good book?” He asked, trying to open the conversation. 

“You'd think you'd get a new line after this long.” The boy replied dryly. “You're going to get suspended at the rate you're going.” 

Lieu perked up, because this was the most the other boy had spoken to him so far. “Won't be the first time.”

“Color me surprised.” That was sarcasm. Lieu loved sarcasm on a boy. “What do you want?” That was the first time he'd asked, and the first time he'd looked at Lieu fully. He was pretty cute, actually, with grey-blue eyes. 

“A name, a phone number, and a date.” He listed. 

That seemed to surprise him. “Noatak, I don't have one, and not a chance in hell.” 

“Can I call you Noa?” He asked, because Noatak was kind of a mouthful. The boy narrowed his eyes in response, so Lieu took that as a no. “And why don't you have a phone?” 

“I can't afford one.” He answered shortly, his eyes on the book again. “Go away.” 

“Nope. Still want that date, and I haven't heard a reason why not.” 

“No, how's that?” He growled. “I don't like you.” 

A few hours later, when he had Noatak pinned under him on his bed, with a hand up his shirt while they made out, he muttered, “I knew you liked me.” He still had paint in his hair from the message they'd painted on the lockers in the soccer player's changing room, and Noatak had some on his cheek. It was a little adorable. 

“I like you better when we're kissing.” Noatak said, scowling at him. 

“And,” Lieu pointed out gleefully. “Vandalizing something together counts as a date.” 

“ _Fine_ ,” Noatak agreed, his nails digging into the back of Lieu's neck. “Just be quiet already.” 

It was really easy to be quiet when he had his tongue in Noatak's mouth.

In the locker room, _EQUAL FUNDING NOW!_ dripped down the metal as it dried.


	6. Creation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noatak is trying to learn how to create. Lieu helps him with that. Well, he provides the spray paint. That's helping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Underage sex, allusions to abuse  
> This is the same universe as Silence. Sue me, I don't do well with prompts.

Noatak had already known the tall, slim boy stalking him. He was a lacrosse player, a fierce one, and he wielded his stick like a weapon when he was on the field. He was a little intimidating to watch, though Tarrlok thought he was the greatest thing ever. Of course he did. 

They still didn't know anyone in the school, only three weeks in to the new year. Their father had moved them into this district because the local prep school had the best soccer team in the state. He had been determined that they would play for them, but hadn't counted on Noatak deliberately failing the entrance exam. He had been genuinely terrified that his father was going to actually kill him for his defiance, but his mother had intervened on his behalf. 

So here he was, a sophomore at the public school, while Tarrlok went to the middle school next door. His father had sworn he would take the stupid exam next year, but he had every intention of failing that one too. He had no inclination to ever play soccer again, as a matter of fact.

It had been disheartening to learn his new school was just as soccer obsessed as his old school, despite having a rather good lacrosse team and an award winning drama program. 

“Did you see that?” Tarrlok crowed beside him, one day in October. Noatak should have been in detention, by all rights, but the principal here was not as good at sticking to his punishments as his old one. He had let Noatak off on good behavior. 

So here they were, watching Lieu's practice. It made Noatak feel like he was Lieu's boyfriend, or something. Random vandalism and making out besides, he most certainly wasn't. The only reason they were here was because Tarrlok had fallen in love with lacrosse, and had a bit of a crush on Lieu, he suspected. A harmless one. He was twelve, after all. 

“No.” He answered, bored. Like soccer, he didn't actually like lacrosse, or most sports. It was fun to play, but watching was dull. He was reading a book for art history instead. “And stop acting so impressed. He's arrogant enough.” 

Tarrlok turned to him with a very serious expression. “If you keep being so mean to him, he's going to break up with you.”

Noatak has a moment of righteous indignation before he replied, “We're not dating!” 

His little brother gave him a highly unimpressed look. “Then why were you making out with him behind the garage on Saturday? And you snuck out to go see him last night.” Noatak was both humiliated and angry as he grabbed him by the arm. 

“Were you _spying_ on me?” 

“No, I was taking the recyclables out! And we share a room! You're not exactly sneaky!” Tarrlok leaned in. “The engine in his car is loud, you know. Dad is going to notice it's hanging around a lot.” They weren't supposed to be out on school nights, or any night really, but Lieu had shown up at eleven, and what was he supposed to do? Just let him sit out there? He'd wake the whole neighborhood with that stupid car. “Dad will be pissed if he finds out you have a boyfriend.”

Their father had specifically banned dating, along with anything else that wasn't soccer. 

Noatak didn't care what his father banned, at this point. “Have you told anyone?”

“No.” Tarrlok looked insulted. “And I still say he's your boyfriend.” 

“He is _not_ ,”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“What isn't what?” Lieu had bounded over to them in the grass, lacrosse stick over his shoulders. “And who are you?”

“Nothing.” Noatak said, glaring at his brother. “And this is Tarrlok. My little brother.” 

Lieu grinned flirtatiously. “Well then, hello there.” Tarrlok reddened, smiling. 

“You're really good.” He said, and his little brother was _not_ flirting with Lieu. 

“Yeah, your brother says that too.” 

Noatak gaped at him in horror, then pushed at his brother. “Start walking, I'll be with you in a minute.” 

“I thought you said lacrosse was-”

“Go!”

Once Tarrlok was gone, he rounded on Lieu. “You're such a jackass! And I did not!”

Lieu's grin turned lecherous. “It was implied when you came all over the backseat that I was pretty good.” His teammates were straggling off the field, practice obviously over. Clearly, Lieu intended to harass him now. “Let me give you a ride home. We can get distracted along the way, create some chaos.” 

“I need to take Tarrlok home, and my little brother is not getting in your car, not with the way you drive.” He started to leave, but then Lieu had him, his arms around him. “Stop it, you smell!”

“So I'll go shower and pick you up.” 

“I have art history homework.” He was supposed to write a paper on _The Creation of Adam_ , and damn if he would do badly in the one class he liked. “No.” 

But at ten, he heard the engine outside, and without looking at Tarrlok, he crawled out the window to meet him. 

Lieu waited until they were a little ways away before he parked the car, and then it was kissing in the back seat that turned into a desperate tangle of bodies, clothes half off while he pushed his hips against Lieu's. He was pretty sure that having sex with the boy who held the record number of suspensions for fighting and vandalism in the whole county, in his stupid customized car, was the exact opposite of where his parents wanted him to be. But that was just too bad for them, because this was where he wanted to be.

They sat on the hood of the car when they were done, so Lieu could smoke, another thing that should be keeping him away from the other boy, staring at the blank concrete wall in front of them. “I've got paint in the trunk.” Lieu suggested, sitting back on his elbow. 

“That's illegal.”

Lieu scoffed. “Half the shit we do is illegal. My car is illegal. And hey, you're fifteen. Us having sex is illegal. Like 'I could go to jail if your parents find out' illegal.” He slid off the car and popped the trunk. “What's a little graffiti in comparison?” 

He had a point. 

So Noatak started painting, Lieu sitting and watching on the hood of the car. Using the spray paint was a fine science that he was still learning, but he was good enough now to make an image that was clear. He drew the waves, and the moon. 

When he was small, they had stayed at a beach house in North Carolina. The moon had hung over the ocean like a Cheshire smile, and the smell of salt had clung to everything. There had been sand in all his clothes and shoes when they got home, and a sand dollar to put on his window. 

It was one of his few happy memories of his whole family together. That had been before soccer, of course. Before the coaches called him a prodigy, before his father had seen the opportunity to continue his own career. A badly torn ACL had ended his at his peak. 

His father had broken that sand dollar when he was twelve, after Noatak had missed a goal. 

He couldn't believe that he had once loved soccer. 

“Nice.” Lieu said, when he was done, and had blue paint up his wrists. He pressed up behind Noatak, smiling against his neck. “When do you turn sixteen, by the way?” 

“In two months.” He answered. 

“What do you want to do?” 

Noatak looked at the moon and ocean he had created, realizing that the sun was going to rise soon. He had to get home and scrub the paint and smell of sex off. He could do it at Lieu's house though, he thought, the other boy's house full of noisy siblings, enough to hide their entrance. His mother was a lawyer who left at five in the morning, and he still wasn't sure what Lieu's father did. 

An idea occurred to him. “I want you to get your mother to help me get emancipated.” 

Lieu started, and he turned to face him. The other boy had an eyebrow raised. “Really?” 

He nodded, and Lieu shrugged. 

“Okay. And hey, this is good, because I don't have to wrap that.”


	7. Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noatak wants to be emancipated, but that means making a few sacrifices along the way. Is there any universe where things go right for them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last in the high school AU, the last in Lieumon Week, still mostly on time. I had to look up emancipation laws and stuff, which is kind of complicated.

In the hallway, Noatak switched his books out from his morning classes, calculus, biology, and government, to his afternoon classes, drawing and art history. Already, he could feel the ball of stress that sat on the back of his neck dissipating. These two classes were his saving grace, what got him through the day, especially with what was going on at home. He fully expected to be hauled into the guidance office sometime soon, for them to have a 'sit down' where they could 'talk' and he could 'try to understand things from his parents' point of view'. They were fighting the emancipation with everything they had, not that he was surprised. 

It was in the middle of drawing that he was called up, the pregnant guidance counselor waiting. She was the principal's wife, which didn't smack of nepotism at all, but she was nice, as far as he had seen. She hadn't killed Lieu yet, and he had weekly meetings with her, as a condition of his last run-in with Bei Fong. 

“Hello, Noatak.” She said, her hands settled on her swollen belly. “How are you?”

“Better, now that I'm staying at my friend's house.” Hiroshi wasn't actually his friend. He was Lieu's partner in crime, more often than not, a smart boy from a wealthy family who was a little too eager to be a badass. Whereas Lieu's defiance seemed completely natural, even Noatak could tell Hiroshi was just playing a part. 

Still, he had put Noatak up, at Lieu's request. It meant dealing with Hiroshi's attempts to force a friendship between them, but that was better than his father by far. It also meant Lieu and him could now carry on as they pleased, with hours spent in the guest room under the guise of studying. There was some studying, of course, because Noatak had to keep his perfect grade point average up to prove to the courts he could be responsible, but Lieu typically spent that time in Hiroshi's garage, working on his stupid car. 

The guidance counselor smiled at him, but it was a worried kind. “That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Now, I know Ms. Hsieh has put forth your petition for emancipation already, but it still hasn't been approved by a judge. You are still technically under their care, and they seem really concerned about you.” 

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I'm sure they are.” She heard the sarcasm, and she sighed. 

“Look, honey, I know it must seem horrible being sixteen, but this isn't the way to rebel, this is a big decision.” 

Noatak was not moved. “You have no idea what this is about. This isn't teenage rebellion. I just can't take it anymore.” It had grown too hard to go home, to his father's anger and disappointment. The time he'd been spending with Lieu, wherever he was, whether it was his loud and happy house, Hiroshi's garage, the lacrosse field, or driving too fast to somewhere no one would spy on them, had been a too cruel juxtaposition with home. 

So on his sixteenth birthday, Lieu's mom had filed the petition. Meanwhile, he and Lieu had skipped school, and spent some of the day at the movies, making out like idiots. Then they'd had sex in Lieu's bed, before anyone got home. “Hey, this is legal now,” Lieu had announced, and Noatak had nearly punched him for it. 

He could be such an ass sometimes. 

“Is it about your boyfriend?” Noatak could not say he had been expecting that. The counselor was giving him a shrewd look, correctly reading his surprise. “Your father claims there's a boy behind all of this. He says you were fine before you met him, and then you were sneaking out at all hours, talking back, skipping school.”

“I don't skip school.” He refuted. “And trust me, my father and I had disagreements before him too. The first problem wouldn't have happened if he hadn't banned me from seeing anyone, or having friends.” 

“Your attendance record backs you up.” The counselor said, going back to being serene. “And you're right, I don't know what's going on at home. But you do realize this is going to become an issue in court, right? Your parents are going to bring this other boy into it. Is he going to be able to handle that level of scrutiny?”

“Have you met Lieu?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

The guidance counselor's serene expression cracked, and she leaned over her belly. “Lieu _Hsieh_? That's why you're dating?” When Amon nodded, she settled back in her chair, patting herself. “Whoo, that's a lot to take in. I mean, no offense, but that's not going to look good at all.” 

“Why not? His mother is representing me.”

“And Ms. Hsieh is a model citizen. Lieu Hsieh, on the other hand, not so much. He's been in a lot of trouble over the years, and I mean a lot. You being in a relationship with him would be a huge red flag. I mean, if this is really what you want, I will do everything in my power to help you. Your credits are enough that you can do half-days next year, I can get you a job, and help you find somewhere to live. Of course, there's the problem of start-up, because you have to actually be living on your own, not at a friend's house, and making sure you can take care of yourself, but none of that will happen if the court thinks there could be a problem.” She bit her lip, and knitted her fingers together across her stomach. “Lieu could be a problem. The judge could deny it based on your relationship with him.” 

Noatak could barely process his anger. “That's not fair! I've done everything right! You know that!” 

She held up a consoling hand. “I know, I know it's not fair. But you have to understand, Lieu's record is a serious hurdle. I obviously can't tell you anything, and I don't know what you know, but the trouble he's been in is big. His mother had to save him more than once.” 

He looked away from her. “Can I go back to class?” 

“We're going to have to talk about this, Noatak, especially if you want your emancipation to go through. They're going to talk to me, and if you want me to give you the green light, I need to see that you have a comprehensive plan for your future.” She was right about that at least, but he was too frustrated to care, and she could see that. “Go back to class. We'll talk later.” 

That afternoon, in Hiroshi's garage, he watched Lieu work on the new car. It was rare he sat with them down there, but he was looking for an opportunity to talk to Lieu alone. When Hiroshi's girlfriend called, and he stepped outside to answer, that was his chance. 

“Have you been arrested?” He asked, and Lieu looked up. The new car was a Honda, like Lieu's regular car, but it made that one look downright low key. Even he knew what they had done to the engine was illegal. Personally, he found it obnoxious, from its LED lighting underneath, to the illegally tinted windows, so dark they were like mirrors. 

“Yeah. A lot of times. For racing, my car, vandalism, assault, um,” Lieu trailed off in thought, his legs and stomach visible under the car. “I got arrested for truancy too, lame as that is.” He did something noisy beneath the car. “Why?”

He rolled out from underneath, and there was a twist to Noatak's stomach. He looked ridiculous, in a wife beater, his hands covered in whatever went into engines.

He was so fond of him, it hurt. 

But he couldn't go back to that house. 

The guidance counselor, who told him to call her Pema, got him a job at the local art museum, weekends only until the summer, when he would start full time, and found him an apartment above a used bookstore for four hundred a month. His grades were still perfect, his teachers reported that he had seemed happier since leaving, and his old soccer coaches all gave written testimonials about what they had witnessed of his relationship with his father. He still had the problem of his start-up money, because Pema claimed the court would want to see savings, but he thought he might be able to get a loan from Hiroshi.

There was one more thing to do, before court. 

Lieu blinked at him. “What?” 

“I want to break up with you.” The lacrosse field had seemed like the best place to do it. Noatak could easily get back to his Freecycle furnished apartment from there by bus, or foot, if he was really determined, so there would be no awkward motions along that matter, and it was somewhere Lieu felt comfortable. 

“Why?” Lieu seemed confused more than anything else. 

“Because you have a record so long, it would take a week to read it.” Noatak replied. “I could get denied my emancipation because of it. It looks like you're a bad influence in my life.” 

“You've been planning this.” Lieu said. “For awhile now, haven't you? I know you, you always think about everything way too much. So yesterday, when we were fucking in the car, and I said-” 

“You punched a police officer in the face!” 

“That story is a little more complicated than you think!” 

“I don't care!” Noatak said. “I don't care about any of that, it's not important to me, but it is to the judge. I can't go back to that house, Lieu, not after I've already left. You have no idea what he'll do to me.” If he thought he'd been miserable before, his father would see to it that he had that notion corrected. He was sure he was planning to move them away again as soon as he got Noatak back under his roof, and then he would lose everything. 

Lieu ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I know. I get it.” He'd seen the bruises on Noatak's shoulders, the ones on his arms, and he'd told him about the times his father had made him play through his injuries. “Fuck. It shouldn't matter, okay? We'll just sneak around again.” 

“Pema won't sign off unless I tell her I've broken up with you, and she'll know if I'm lying. It'll go worse if I'm caught.” 

“Are you just looking for an excuse?” Lieu questioned, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What, you got to use me to get you out of that house, and my mom to make it legal, so you're done with me?” He was being nasty now.

“Yes, that's it exactly.” Noatak replied, just as nasty, because fuck him, he knew what this meant to him. “I let you screw me a few times, and I got what I wanted.” It was a low blow, and Lieu responded exactly like he expected him to.

“Fuck you!” He growled. “I said I loved you!” He shoved Noatak, not hard, but it was enough to cause an instinctive defensive reaction. He shoved back, and years spent playing soccer had not all been in vain. He still had enough strength to actually move him, and Lieu stared in shock.

“Could you make it any easier to exploit you?” Noatak demanded. “It was easy to use you.” He didn't mean a word of it, but it got Lieu off his back, and honestly, he just wanted to hurt him. 

The argument and the break-up clearly both done, he turned and stalked off. 

He waited until he was back in the apartment, in the bed Lieu had tackled him into, before he started to cry. 

In the end, the loan from Hiroshi wasn't needed. A month later, armed with the testimonials from his coaches, his teachers, and Pema, he was more than prepared, even in the face of his father's wrath and his mother's tears. When the judge asked him about Lieu, it was with a clear conscience that he said, “I have no relationship with him.” 

The judge signed off, and just like that, he was free and clear. 

There was of course the matter of money though. He had just enough every paycheck to get by, but he was terrified of something happening to throw it into jeopardy. He had absolutely nothing to fall back on, until summer, when he got full time, and the stress was giving him an ulcer. Which was another thing he couldn't afford, because he didn't have health insurance. 

A knock at the door one night in late February roused him from studying. It was a surprise to find Lieu there. 

“I left my hoodie here.”

He meant his Memphis Grizzlies one, the blue background faded to almost grey, with the bear's face in gold. Noatak knew what it looked like very well. He was wearing it. 

To be fair, it was warm, and he had the heat as low as possible. 

Lieu raised an eyebrow, and Noatak stepped back to allow him entrance. He started to pull off the garment, but Lieu stopped, him, tugging it back down. “Keep it. I needed a new one.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I came to bring you something. Figured you needed it.” 

Out of his pocket, he pulled a roll of bills. A thick one. Noatak stared at it with wide eyes, as Lieu put it on the table. “I sold the new Honda. I kept what I put in, made Hiroshi absorb what he put in, brought the rest for you.” 

“Lieu, I can't,” 

“Pema said you were getting stressed. I just...fuck, alright, look, I shouldn't have touched you like that, and I'm sorry. You had every right to push me back. I wanted to, I don't know, apologize. Make it right.” He seemed uncomfortable, and Noatak didn't blame him. He wasn't proud of himself either. 

“I shouldn't have said those things. Or pushed you back. I lost my temper.” He wondered if now was the right time to tell the truth, and decided it was. “What you said, that day in you car, did you mean it?” 

Lieu gestured at the roll of money. “I sold a car you know I loved, just to help you. What do you think? I'm fucking devoted to you, at this point.”

Noatak looked at his feet as he smiled. “I think you should stay and help me study.” 

The other boy grinned at him, as his hands settled on Noatak's waist. But it dropped for a second, as he looked down at him. “That's still code for making out and maybe sex if I'm really good, right?” 

Noatak rested his head against Lieu's chest. “Yes, it's still code for making out.” 

“Cool.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done, bye, going to bed. There will be a Lieusday update on The Lovers That Went Wrong. I promise it before midnight.


End file.
